**Acknowledgements**

The authors wish to acknowledge Dr. Antonios Polydorou for performing the catheterizations and stenting of the cartotid arteries in the group of patients that underwent intervention prior entering the study. We also thank him for allowing us access to the records of the angioplasty lab. Finally we are grateful for valuable advice and reviewing this manuscript before publish‐ ing.

We also wish to acknowledge Dr. Ioannis Dermitzakis for the critical contribution in evaluating the degree of stenosis of our patient population, as director of the ultrasonography laboratory in our institution. Without his help and valuable assistance this whole project would not have been completed.

The authors finally acknowledge Mrs. Anna Zervou for carrying out the biochemical labora‐ tory measurements with diligence and accuracy, overlooking tiredness, physical and emo‐ tional strain. We thank her for her personal commitment in the success of this research.
